Acts 10:34. “But Peter, opening his mouth, said: In truth I have come to know—that is, truly and experientially I have now recognized—that God is not an acceptor of persons; that is, He neither favors one more than another nor rejects anyone except for a just cause, nor does He distinguish between Jews and Gentiles with regard to salvation, provided that they dispose themselves rightly. For this reason the Apostle says to the Romans: Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? And elsewhere: God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Likewise in the Book of Wisdom it is written: There is no other God but You, and You have care for all. And in Second Chronicles: With the Lord our God there is no injustice, nor acceptance of persons, nor acceptance of gifts.
But an objection seems to arise, since of two men of the same condition and equal in all respects, God mercifully receives one and justly leaves the other. The answer is that the acceptance of persons is opposed to distributive justice, which assigns to different persons according to their dignity and merits. Acceptance of persons therefore occurs when, in the one to whom something is given, that is not considered by reason of which what is given would be proportionate or due to him—for example, if a superior were to grant a benefice to someone because he is rich or a relative. Nevertheless, there is a twofold kind of giving: one which is an act of justice, and with regard to this acceptance of persons is considered and comes into play; and another which is an act of liberality, by which something not owed is freely bestowed upon another, such as the bestowal of the gifts of God, to whom He is obligated to no one. In such matters there is no acceptance of persons, since anyone may give to whom he wills and as much as he wills. According to Thomas, this is stated more fully in the Secunda Secundae, question 63.
Acts 10:35 “But in every nation, of whatever people he may be, whoever fears God with chaste and filial fear, or at least with initial fear, and works justice—that is, performs acts of justice, which is a moral virtue ordered to what is due and to a right end, and which cannot exist without faith—is acceptable to Him,” that is, he is in a state of salvation and of meriting. Natural virtue and natural knowledge of God alone do not suffice for salvation; but for the attainment of a supernatural end or beatitude, means are required proportioned to that end.
Acts 10:36 “God sent the word to the sons of Israel,” for He truly sent His Word incarnate to the Jews, the Word Himself bearing witness: I was not sent except to the sheep that were lost of the house of Israel. He also sent the word, that is, the evangelical doctrine, announcing peace—that is, the reconciliation of the human race with God—through Jesus Christ, the mediator of God and men, who, insofar as He is mediator, reconciled us to God through Himself. Hence the Apostle says: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. And Christ in His own person preached this and announced and bestowed peace upon hearts, as He says: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. And again: The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
“He is Lord of all,” because He is true God, King of kings and Lord of lords. As God, He is Lord by His own authority as principal ruler; but as man, He presides over all instrumentally.
Acts 10:37 “You know what happened throughout all Judea,” namely, that Jesus’ deeds were spread abroad throughout Judea. For Christ’s miracles made Him known everywhere in neighboring regions. Jesus began His preaching from Galilee, just as in the Passion the Jews said: He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place, after the baptism which John preached.
Acts 10:38 “Jesus of Nazareth”: for John the Baptist, by baptizing the people, renewed them and announced to them that Christ had come, saying: There stands among you One whom you do not know. Or again, Jesus began to preach publicly after the baptism by which He was baptized by John. Thus John preached Jesus as His precursor. John preached the baptism by which Jesus was anointed—not with oil, but according to the assumed human nature—by God the Father, or rather by the Trinity, with the Holy Spirit and with power, in the fullness of grace and holiness, that is, with authority to perform miracles. For the Holy Spirit anointed Christ as man and sent Him, according to that word in Isaiah: And now the Lord has sent me and His Spirit. Hence the Baptist said of Christ: God does not give the Spirit by measure to Him. For His grace is, in a certain way, infinite. This spiritual and invisible anointing was given to the soul of Christ at the very first moment of His creation, when it was united with the flesh to the eternal source of all grace.
“He went about among men, conversing, walking, and preaching, doing good, bestowing many benefits upon men, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” Indeed, He cured many who were possessed, and spiritually He also converted to God those who were full of demons, just as He cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene. Indeed, by His blessed Passion He saved all sinners. For whoever lies in mortal sin is oppressed by demons, cast down, conquered, and blinded. Truly, “all who were oppressed” may be understood either of Gentiles in general, or rather individually of each class of persons.
“Because God was with Him,” namely, the Father with the Son, as He Himself says in the Gospel: I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me. This union, however, must be understood rightly. God was with Christ according to His human nature, which thus had efficacy, acting from the assistance of God. It can also be understood that God, that is, the eternal Word, was with Him—that is, with Jesus—according to His humanity, by the hypostatic union, although this explanation is not proper according to Bede, lest we appear to divide the person of Christ.
“And we are witnesses of all the wonderful things He did in the region of the Jews, and of how they killed Him, hanging Him upon a tree. Him God raised up on the third day.” These things have already often been explained. “And He granted that He be made manifest after the resurrection, not immediately to all the people, nor to everyone absolutely, but to witnesses preordained by God—to us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” For although it is written in the Gospel that Christ ate with His disciples after the resurrection, it is not there expressly stated that He drank with them; but this is known from these words.
This is the most orderly and wise process of divine wisdom: that supernatural things are not revealed immediately to all, but to certain chosen and greater ones, and through them to others. The same is seen in the angelic hierarchies, in which divine illuminations descend from the higher to the lower angelic spirits, as Dionysius teaches.
“And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one appointed by God the Father, according to His human nature, as judge of the living and the dead,” that is, of all—whether those who will have died before the end of the world, or those who will be found alive at the end and will die in the fire of the final conflagration. Or by the living are meant the elect, who live by grace, and by the dead the reprobate, who are dead through guilt.
In judgment two things are considered. The first is the authority to judge, which is common to the three divine persons and is one. The second is the execution of judgment or the pronouncement of the sentence, which belongs to Christ according to His human nature, and which He merited through His humiliation and Passion. For this reason He says: He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. And again: The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.
“To Him all the prophets bear witness,” namely, to Christ the Lord, that through His name—that is, through His invocation and faith in Him—all who believe in Him receive remission of sins, namely those who by faith and charity are incorporated into Christ. For the prophets speak in harmony about Christ as the Savior of all, so that believers are justified by His grace.
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell,” that is, suddenly came or descended—not according to His uncircumscribed and immutable substance, but according to the effects of His power and the gifts of His grace—upon all who were hearing the word, namely upon Cornelius and his household, to whom this preaching was addressed. The Holy Spirit descended under a visible or sensible sign; whether in fiery tongues or in another form is uncertain, as scholastic history notes.
“And those of the circumcision who had believed were astonished,” that is, those converted from Judaism who had come with Peter, because upon the nations—that is, upon the Gentiles—the grace of the Holy Spirit was poured out in such abundance. For the Jews were accustomed to regard the Gentiles as nothing, and nothing like this had ever happened before; therefore they were as it were beside themselves with astonishment at so great and unusual an effect. For it was truly a great miracle and a supreme act of divine mercy.
They heard them speaking in different tongues, as the Apostles had spoken on the day of Pentecost, and magnifying God, manifestly giving thanks and extolling His goodness and benefits.
Then Peter answered: Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?—that is, as we Apostles did, with the sensible sign of the gift of tongues, though not in the same fullness as the Apostles, who received the first fruits of the Spirit.
“And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Concerning this form of baptism and why baptism was given in this manner in the primitive Church, this has been explained above. The Apostles, however, baptized converts through their disciples, while they themselves devoted themselves to the ministry of preaching, as Paul testifies: Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach. At times, however, they themselves baptized.
Then they asked him—that is, Peter—to remain with them for some days, for their consolation and fuller instruction, and especially out of the love they had conceived for their blessed and glorious teacher, father, and Apostle; and there is no doubt that he consented.
CONTINUE
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